Desafiar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb desafiar means to challenge, to defy, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. It is a regular -ar verb verb: the stem is desafi and the endings follow the -ar pattern, with the exceptions noted in the tables below. This page gives you the complete picture — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say «Yo desafío todos los días», which means «I challenge every day». Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: desafiar
  • English: to challenge, to defy
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: desafiando
  • Past participle: desafiado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desafiado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desafiar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desafiar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Gerund: desafiando · Past participle: desafiado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo desafío
tú desafías
él/ella/Ud. desafía
nosotros/as desafiamos
vosotros/as desafiáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafían

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For desafiar, the yo form is desafío, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo desafié
tú desafiaste
él/ella/Ud. desafió
nosotros/as desafiamos
vosotros/as desafiasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafiaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo desafié» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo desafiaba
tú desafiabas
él/ella/Ud. desafiaba
nosotros/as desafiábamos
vosotros/as desafiabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafiaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo desafiaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo desafiaré
tú desafiarás
él/ella/Ud. desafiará
nosotros/as desafiaremos
vosotros/as desafiaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafiarán

The future tense states what will happen. For desafiar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo desafiaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo desafiaría
tú desafiarías
él/ella/Ud. desafiaría
nosotros/as desafiaríamos
vosotros/as desafiaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafiarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo desafiaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he desafiado
tú has desafiado
él/ella/Ud. ha desafiado
nosotros/as hemos desafiado
vosotros/as habéis desafiado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han desafiado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he desafiado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había desafiado
tú habías desafiado
él/ella/Ud. había desafiado
nosotros/as habíamos desafiado
vosotros/as habíais desafiado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían desafiado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había desafiado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré desafiado
tú habrás desafiado
él/ella/Ud. habrá desafiado
nosotros/as habremos desafiado
vosotros/as habréis desafiado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán desafiado

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré desafiado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría desafiado
tú habrías desafiado
él/ella/Ud. habría desafiado
nosotros/as habríamos desafiado
vosotros/as habríais desafiado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían desafiado

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría desafiado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo desafíe
tú desafíes
él/ella/Ud. desafíe
nosotros/as desafiemos
vosotros/as desafiéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafíen

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él desafíe». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo desafiara
tú desafiaras
él/ella/Ud. desafiara
nosotros/as desafiáramos
vosotros/as desafiarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafiaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él desafiara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú desafía
él/ella/Ud. desafíe
nosotros/as desafiemos
vosotros/as desafiad
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafíen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡desafía!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú desafíes
él/ella/Ud. desafíe
nosotros/as desafiemos
vosotros/as desafiéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desafíen

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No desafíes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo desafío todos los días. — I challenge every day.
  2. Ayer yo desafié por la tarde. — Yesterday I challenged in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo desafiaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to challenge every day.
  4. Mañana yo desafiaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will challenge without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo desafiaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would challenge right now.
  6. Hoy yo he desafiado dos veces. — Today I have challenged twice.
  7. Espero que tú desafíes pronto. — I hope You challenge soon.
  8. Si yo desafiara, todo sería distinto. — If I challenged, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy desafiando. — Right now I am challenging.
  10. ¡desafía, por favor! — Challenge, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo desafiaba.

Right: Ayer yo desafié.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, desafié. The imperfect desafiaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú desafías.

Right: Espero que tú desafíes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: desafíes, not the indicative desafías. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No desafía.

Right: No desafíes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no desafíes. The affirmative desafía can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo desafiar todos los días.

Right: Yo desafío todos los días.

The infinitive desafiar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo desafío.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He desafiando.

Right: He desafiado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he desafiado. The gerund desafiando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy desafiando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of desafiar in the present indicative?

- (a) desafías
- (b) desafía
- (c) desafío
- (d) desafiamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of desafiar in the preterite?

- (a) desafiasteis
- (b) desafió
- (c) desafiaste
- (d) desafié

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of desafiar in the imperfect?

- (a) desafiaba
- (b) desafiaban
- (c) desafiabas
- (d) desafiaba

4. What is the yo form of desafiar in the future?

- (a) desafiaré
- (b) desafiará
- (c) desafiarás
- (d) desafiaremos

5. What is the tú form of desafiar in the conditional?

- (a) desafiaríamos
- (b) desafiaría
- (c) desafiarías
- (d) desafiaría

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of desafiar in the present perfect?

- (a) has desafiado
- (b) he desafiado
- (c) hemos desafiado
- (d) ha desafiado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of desafiar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) desafíes
- (b) desafíe
- (c) desafíe
- (d) desafiemos

8. What is the vosotros/as form of desafiar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) desafiarais
- (b) desafiaras
- (c) desafiara
- (d) desafiara

9. What is the gerund of desafiar?

- (a) desafío
- (b) desafiando
- (c) desafiar
- (d) desafiado

10. What is the past participle of desafiar?

- (a) desafiando
- (b) desafiar
- (c) desafié
- (d) desafiado

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of desafiar is desafiamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of desafiar is desafiasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of desafiar is desafiaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the yo form of desafiar is desafiaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the tú form of desafiar is desafiarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of desafiar is ha desafiado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of desafiar is desafiemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of desafiar is desafiarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (b) — The gerund of desafiar is desafiando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy desafiando». 10. (d) — The past participle of desafiar is desafiado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he desafiado».

Frequently asked questions

Is desafiar regular or irregular?

Yes — desafiar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem desafi unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of desafiar?

The gerund is desafiando and the past participle is desafiado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy desafiando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he desafiado»).

How do I say «I challenge» in Spanish?

Say «Yo desafío todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of desafiar?

Use the preterite (desafié) for a single finished event and the imperfect (desafiaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo desafié» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo desafiaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with desafiar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú desafíes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use desafiar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he desafiado». The participle desafiado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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